On Thursday, May 17, the Ellenville Regional Hospital held the dedication ceremony for the facility's new Gillette/McDonald Emergency Department. Over 200 people came out on a beautiful spring morning to celebrate yet another step on the hospital's road to recovery.

The ceremony, attended by local officials, members of the Gillette and McDonald families, State Senator John Bonacic and representatives of Congressman Maurice Hinchey returned many times to the role that community involvement played in helping the once beleaguered hospital to survive and begin to thrive again.

Ellenville Regional Hospital president Steve Kelley explained that area residents raised the majority of the facility's funding. Kelley went on to say, "It's fully funded; there is no debt. This is really a community achievement."

In addition to the community's role, family was another key theme throughout the day's events as representatives from the Gillette, McDonald and Resnick families were asked to speak about their reasons for committing to the hospital's resurgence.

Phyllis Gillette (widow of John Gillette), ERH President Steve Kelley, Lynn McDonald (widow of Harold McDonald) and Myrna Jargowsky (daughter of Mildred and Louis Resnick) pose with flowers of appreciation given to the three women.

The new facility is named in memory of former emergency room director Harold T. "Mac" McDonald and hospital board member John Gillette. When J.B. Gillette, son of John Gillette, took the podium he spoke with great emotion about his father's commitment to family and to the hospital. "Dad never looked for public recognition for anything he did. We wanted to stay under the radar, until today."

Young David McDonald spoke of his father's reputation for altruism and his easy way with friends, colleagues, patients and strangers.

Myrna Jargowksy, daughter of the late Louis and Mildred Resnick, spoke of her parents' belief in the hospital's continued existence and offered warm anecdotes describing Mrs. Resnick's tenacious fundraising practices.

When Bonacic spoke he mentioned the importance of the community's support when he took the podium and said, "This community and the will of these people would not let this hospital go out of business."

Bonacic later referenced New York State's move to cut medical spending by either shutting down or consolidating hospitals across the state. He called the state's Berger Commission (the group that suggested the spending cuts) a "hit team" and explained that he [Bonacic] understood the need for and value of rural healthcare.

For providing that kind of healthcare, Kelley and his board of directors received applause and cheers throughout the day. At one point, Bonacic, who used a similar metaphor at last August's groundbreaking ceremony, pointed to Kelley and said, "This is my 'Rocky'– my Ellenville Regional Hospital 'Rocky'." The line, referencing the classic underdog sports film, drew a loud round of applause and cheers for Kelley's efforts in helping to reverse the hospital's fortunes.

As Kelley returned to the podium to close the day's festivities he offered the audience his and his board's successes over the past few years and described a vision for the future, which includes a senior living facility to be built between the hospital and Route 209, a series of nursing home beds and the relocation of the facility's physical therapy department.

After the ceremony the public was invited into the new emergency department for tours of the facility. The facility is awaiting its final inspections and plans to be open for business for the Memorial Day weekend.

The new emergency department is the first change to the hospital's footprint since it was built some 40 years ago. The total cost for the new facility, including provisions for necessary equipment, was about $2 million.

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